COTTON. 181 



lowered if the bale shows stringy cotton, cut seed, gin-cut, 

 neps, etc. 



Cotton-Seed Products. — The more important by-pro- 

 ducts are obtained from the seed, which is composed of about 

 equal proportions by weight of hulls and kernels (" meats "). 

 After the seed is decorticated, i.e., the kernels separated from 

 the hulls, the kernels are heated and pressed into cotton-seed 

 cake. During this process the cotton-seed oil is expressed. 

 Montgomery* says ' ' a ton of cotton-seed will usually yield about 

 300 pounds of oil, 750 pounds of cake and 800 pounds of hulls, 

 the remaining 150 pounds representing evaporation and waste 

 materials." 



Sometimes the seed is not decorticated, but is merely 

 crushed, cooked and pressed, in which case — because the hulls 

 are still present — the cake (undecorticated) is not nearly so 

 valuable as a concentrate. Cotton-seed cake is one of the most 

 valuable of concentrated foods obtainable, particularly for dairy 

 cattle. The following average of analyses of cotton-seed cake 

 will bear this out : — 



Water. Ash. Protein. Crude Fibre. Carbohydrates. Fat. 



8-52 7-02 43-26 5-44 22-31 13-45 



The meal is a valuable fertiliser. However, it is too valu- 

 able as a concentrate for feeding to allow of its common use as 

 a fertiliser. It contains fertilising constituents in approxi- 

 mately the following amounts : — -Nitrogen, 7 per cent., phos- 

 phoric acid, 3 per cent., and potash, 2 per cent. 



Cotton-seed oil is used in many ways, i.e., illuminating 

 purposes, medicines, soaps, candles; in the manufacture of 

 roofing composition, linoleum, etc. The crude cotton-seed oil 

 produced in America in 1914 was valued at ^16,108,000. 



At present in South Africa the linters, or fine fluff from 

 the seed, is delinted in the ginneries after the lint has been 

 taken off. In America the linters are removed at the oil mills. 

 They are largely used in the manufacture of explosives, felt, 

 blotting paper, absorbent cotton, etc. 



At present the Union's cotton industry is in its infancy, 

 but as it develops and as large quantities become available, no 

 doubt the by-products will be more fully exploited. 



Pests and Diseases. — There is probably no commonly 

 grown crop in which insect pests play so important a role. In 

 Egypt the Pink Boll Worm causes enormous losses annually, 

 and in America the Mexican Boll Weevil has been the principal 

 cause of the decrease in American production. These are two 

 of the worst pests known to cotton. Fortunately they are so 

 far absent from the Union, and the authorities are taking every 



